AI has a hidden water cost - here’s how to calculate yours

Artificial intelligence systems are thirsty, consuming as much as —a —for each a user has with the GPT-3 version of OpenAI’s ChatGPT system.

- BY DEAN OF LIBRARIES; Advisor to the Provost for AI Literacy; Professor of Education, University of Virginia

They use roughly the same amount of water to message.

That figure includes the and the water consumed at the power plants generating the electricity to run them.

But the study that calculated those estimates also pointed out that AI systems’ water usage can vary widely, the computer answering the query is running.

To me, as an, understanding AI is not just about knowing how to write prompts. It also involves understanding the .

Many people, especially given headlines calling out its . Those effects are real, but they’re only part of the story.

When people move from seeing AI as simply a resource drain to understanding its actual footprint, where the effects come from, how they vary, and what can be done to reduce them, they are far better equipped to make choices that balance innovation with sustainability.

2 hidden streams

Behind every AI query are .

The first is of servers that generate enormous amounts of heat. This often uses evaporative cooling towers — giant misters that spray water over hot pipes or open basins. The evaporation carries away heat, but that water is removed from the local water supply, such as a river, a reservoir or an aquifer. Other cooling systems may use .

The second stream is used by the power plants generating the . Coal, gas and nuclear plants use large volumes of water for .

Hydropower also uses up significant amounts of water, which . Concentrated solar plants, which run more like traditional steam power stations, if they rely on wet cooling.